World Cup 2026: Jamie Carragher questions VAR decision after Egypt’s controversial disallowed goal against Argentina

English football icon Jamie Carragher has criticised the decision to rule out Egypt’s controversial goal during their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16, claiming the outcome may have been different if another team was involved.

The seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champions appeared to be on the verge of a historic World Cup breakthrough after taking a commanding two-goal lead against the reigning world champions.

However, their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals were eventually ended by a late Argentine comeback inspired by Lionel Messi.

Carragher, a former England defender and respected football analyst, questioned the consistency of VAR decisions after Mostafa Zico’s first-half goal was disallowed following a review.

“I assure you that if the goal was against another team, it would have been allowed,” Carragher said. “If it happened in the Premier League, La Liga or Serie A, it would have been a goal even after VAR review. There have been many contradictions in this tournament.”

Egypt believed they had taken control of the contest when Zico finished a well-worked move to put them ahead, but the goal was overturned after VAR officials identified a foul on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez earlier in the build-up.

The decision sparked frustration among the Egyptian players and supporters, who felt the incident did not warrant cancelling out what would have been a crucial opening goal.

Despite the setback, Zico later found the net again to give Egypt a 2-0 advantage and put the Pharaohs on course for a historic first-ever World Cup quarter-final appearance.

Argentina, however, showed their championship mentality and produced a stunning recovery. Defender Cristian Romero reduced the deficit before captain Lionel Messi restored parity with his eighth goal of the tournament after earlier missing a penalty.

With momentum firmly on their side, Argentina completed the comeback in dramatic fashion when Enzo Fernandez scored the decisive goal, sending the defending champions through and ending Egypt’s memorable World Cup campaign.

The result has renewed debate over VAR consistency at the tournament, with Carragher’s comments adding to growing discussions about refereeing standards and the interpretation of key decisions in major international competitions.